This invention relates to arrangements for fastening vehicle safety belts having a latching element engageable with a latching rail affixed to the vehicle.
German Patent No. 38 29 824 and German Offenlegungsschrift No. 27 42 668 disclose vehicle seats having safety belts in which a belt is fastened at least indirectly to the vehicle seat by a latching arrangement. When a predetermined belt force is exceeded, the latching elements are moved out of their rest position into engagement with a latching rail which is fixed to the vehicle body. Such arrangements have the advantage that the force which is applied to the belt during a restraining action is transmitted directly into the vehicle body and does not have to be absorbed by the vehicle seat itself. Accordingly, the vehicle seat may be designed with considerably smaller dimensions and thus, in particular, may be produced by a lightweight construction method. A further advantage of this arrangement is that belt buckles which are fastened on the vehicle seat are always moved along with the seat when the seat is adjusted, thus ensuring the optimum restraint position with respect to the vehicle occupant in each case. A further advantage which should be mentioned, with reference to German Patent No. 38 29 824, is that the retaining part for the belt buckle is always in a predetermined angular position, and thus always provides clear orientation for the vehicle occupant when inserting the seat-belt tongue.